Sustainable Urban Agriculture Program

The Sustainable Urban Agriculture program in theLife Sciences Department and offers a hands-on approach to becoming a professional working in agriculture related fields or continuing on to earn an Associate's degree for those planning to continue education in agriculture at a university. The goal of the program is to train future farmers living in an urban environment by providing them with the practical farming skills.

Why do we need to train urban farmers?

The average age of US farmers is 59 years old. Over 50% of the world's population currently lives in cities. 15% of the world's food is currently currently grown in cities. According to UN projections, 2/3 of the world's population will be living in cities by 2030. We need more urban farmers to meet the growing need for food and to ensure local food security.

The USDA projects that "the agricultural, food, and renewable natural resources sectors of the U.S. economy will generate an estimated 54,400 annual openings in food, renewable energy, and environmental specialties between 2010 and 2015." And, relevant to our program, among the priority occupationsare:

Crop Management Consultant

Land Use Manager

Precision Agriculture Specialist

Organic Agriculture Entrepreneur

Renewable Energy Crop Producer

Restoration Forester

Seed Producer

For more information on USDA Agriculture and Food job projections through 2015 click here and here.